The costs relate to a landmark Federal Court case that Bob took in 2006 against the state owned enterprise. He alleged that Forestry Tasmania were breaching Federal threatened species legislation in logging the biodiversity rich Wielangta forest in south east Tasmania. He won that case, but in true Tasmanian style, the decision was later overturned on a technicality by the Court after the Tasmanian Government joined forces with the then Howard Government to change the law.
Having paid for the original case himself by auctioning almost all of his possessions, he has been left without the means to pay Forestry Tasmania’s court costs. Now Forestry Tasmania is threatening to bankrupt Bob if he does not pay the money by June 29. Bankruptcy would disqualify him from the Senate.

Bob is a longtime conservation crusader, and has been a tireless advocate for the Tasmanian Wilderness since playing a crucial leadership role in the battle to save the magnificent Franklin river from being drowned under a hydro dam in the early 1980s. It is hard to see this as anything other than politically-motivated attempt to intimidate and silence him. The Greens won 13.5% of the senate vote in Tasmania in 2007.

13 Comments Posted

There is more in this story than meets the eye; I’ve never seen Bankruptcy used as a weapon to remove a Politician.
There is a constant confrontation over the ancient forests of Tasmania – certainly they are unique and enchanting geophysical places ime.

> Bob successfully proved in court that an SOE was breaking the law. In order to protect that SOE and the logging industry, the Government retrospectively changed that law and the court’s decision was overturned.

surely the courts in Australia can’t overturn a court verdict as a result of a law change after the verdict was delivered? If true, that’s completely outrageous

Corrupt business interfering with politics in Australia.
Why am I not surprised.

Good luck to Bob Brown & his support team in Canberra and around the federal states; I met him once, a good few years ago, and found him to be an interesting conversationalist, intelligent and thoughtful.

BP I think you’re missing the point….this is a bit different to a ‘politician trying to block a windfarm development’. Bob successfully proved in court that an SOE was breaking the law. In order to protect that SOE and the logging industry, the Government retrospectively changed that law and the court’s decision was overturned.

Now Bob owes that SOE nearly a quarter of a million dollars in costs and is being threatened with the loss of his democratically elected seat if he doesn’t pay…..if a business person such as Dick Smith thinks that is blatantly unfair and is in a position to help, then all power to him I say!!!!